"Welcome to The Library Of Kelna." Behind the counter, a young man who looked like a scholar with his glasses greeted us. "Here, you can find books covering all kinds of topics. How may I help you?"
Despite our young age, he still kept a respectful demeanor that I couldn't expect less from a luxurious place such as this library.
"Good morning, sir. How much do we have to pay to get access to the library?" Like she always does, Ariel took the lead to inquire while I just stayed behind.
"The fee is 2 Bronze coins per person for 2 hours only. However, with a monthly membership at the cost of 5 Silver coins, our members can unlock exclusive books on the third floor and enjoy unlimited reading sessions for a month."
Putting the Gold coin on the table, Ariel said, "There is no need for a membership. We will just pay for 2 hours. Oh, just one question, can we bring our puppy along?"
"Hein..?" The man rose from his chair to glance at the other side of the cashier. "I am so sorry. You would have been allowed to bring animals a week ago. However, due to an unfortunate accident when our customer's pet disrupted the peace and other people, we had changed our policy — No pets allowed."
This is stupid.
Can't he see that Wolfy has been sitting on the floor without making any sound just like a good boy?
They can't do this just because someone couldn't manage his pet once.
"Can you make an exception? I promise Wolfy won't bother anyone," Ariel asked.
"I am sorry." Although he declined, it looked like he couldn't do anything about it.
If the rule is the rule, I will change the rule myself.
"I want to see your manager," I said.
"No need for the manager to come." A man wearing an elegant outfit that is way above what any normal person could get their hands on walked towards us. "When the owner is here."
~~~
All of us went inside a spacious room with many books at the side. It was obvious that whoever occupied this place was a bookworm.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Fynn, owner of the prestigious Library Of Kelna. As Kove told you earlier, the rule is the rule. Our policy is to maintain a calm environment for our customers to read in peace. I cannot do anything about it."
"Did you make us come here just to say this?" Ariel said.
"Of course, not. While I can't change the rule, as the owner, I can bestow privileges to whoever I want..."
"What do you want?" Still smiling, Ariel went straight to the point.
"My daughter, Ligh, who is obsessed about battles had recently awakened her core, which isn't a bad thing. However, this distanced her from other children of her age. Since you are the daughter of the reputable Igor, maybe you could become friends. To answer your future question, I have some good intel."
Hesitant to accept the deal, Ariel didn't give her answer immediately.
For others, it might seem like an easy task to do, but this is much more complicated for her.
As far as I know, she doesn't have any friends, just like me. There is no reason for that since we aren't awkward socially or anything. Maybe we just lack interest in others or not many people share the same passion as us.
"You don't need to force yourself for me. At worst, if that Ligh is like you, I can manage her." I whispered as low as I could to Ariel.
Hearing this seemed to make her hesitation disappear as she nodded her head and said, "It would my pleasure to hang out with your daughter."
"Excellent, Ligh will be waiting for you at my mansion, then. Here is the address. No need to be shy to bring your little brother along." Fynn said with a sly smile.
After a star mark shone at the backside of our hands before decreasing in brightness, he explained, "From your confused face, I assume that you don't have any knowledge about this magic. My core specialization allows me to place marks on my target to track his location, but this can also be used as proof of being my honored guest. Don't worry, I have no interest in knowing your whereabouts."